


Bonding Time

by Hamyheikki



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Spectacular Spider-Man (Cartoon)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-19 03:02:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19966963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hamyheikki/pseuds/Hamyheikki
Summary: Adrian is having his doubts about his own abilities to take care of a baby. Luckily, Otto is there to lend him a hand.





	Bonding Time

**Author's Note:**

> Adorable little Blake is a creation of a wonderful artist @angerydj.  
> You guys should definitely check out his tumblr if you somehow haven't already!  
> https://angerydj.tumblr.com/

“And _this_ is called ‘indigo’. Can you say that for me? In-di-go?”

“Adadada?”

“Aah, very close, honey! One more time; indigo!”

“Mam ma ma!”

“... Perhaps we should try another color?”

Otto set the blue block back onto the carpet, smiling as he saw a small hand dash forward, attempting to grab it. The motion was so dearly clumsy and wobbly. It made his heart positively melt. 

With a gentle push, he nudged the block closer to those flailing hands, and was delighted to see tiny fingers curling around it. The baby, sitting comfortably against his stomach, babbled happily and proceeded to drool all over the cube.

“Now then, my dear. How about this one?” He lifted up a red piece from the half-empty toy chest beside them. “This is ‘carmine’. Car -”

“What on earth are you doing?”

The sudden voice cause Otto to nearly drop the block he was holding. He turned partly around (a rather challenging feat with the baby), and aimed a glance at the tall man who had leaned his weight against the door frame of their living room. They didn’t have an actual _door_ put in place, so there had not been any warning of him entering the room.

“Adrian, you’re home early.”

“I never left.” He stepped in, closing the distance between them with few long strides. “I found the spare part I was looking for from the storage. Saw no need to waste money buying a new one.” His gaze swept over the room, an eyebrow rising. “But back to my initial question; What is all this?”

The statement forced Otto to take a look around himself too. It was only a bit past midday, and since Blake had finished her late breakfast a while ago, they had retired to the living room. The place was, honestly speaking, quite telling as to what they had been up to after that. Dolls, children's books, an unfinished drawing featuring two shaky circles, and a mountain of building blocks were all scattered around the floor, leaving little space for one to actually walk in the room without tripping. 

“I was teaching her to identify colors.”

To demonstrate, Otto raised his red block again. Blake, from her place against his stomach, tilted her head back, letting out an excited whoop when the toy came into her view.

Adrian was watching as well, a dry smirk on his lips. “Wouldn’t it be ironic if she turned out to be colorblind?”

“ _Toomes!_ ” A half-hearted slap was delivered on the snickering man’s arm.

“You could be teaching her lies.”

“Shut it, at least I am not suggesting to make her recognize shapes from engine blueprints!”

Adrian scoffed, yet the mirthful grin remained. “Reading charts is a vital skill to have.”

“Not for a baby!” Otto exclaimed, combing his fingers over Blake’s soft hair.

“Oh, but they grow up so fast. One must forge while the iron is still hot.”

During their bickering, a pair of small legs had started to move on the mat. Little by little, Blake slid downwards until she was laying on her stomach over the soft carpet. Her happy giggle was what brought both men’s attention back to her, identical smiles of tenderness appearing as they watched her pull herself forward.

“She moves around so much already,” Otto said, wistfully. “I dread the day she actually begins to walk.”

Sitting down next to him, Adrian hummed in response. “We might have to start thinking about childproofing the rest of the house. She’s bound to wander around on her own at some point.” He reached out, hesitantly, and ran his hand carefully through the dark curls covering the delicate head. Blake smiled at him as he did. “We’ll keep her safe and sound, won’t we?” 

Despite the question no doubt being rhetorical, Otto couldn’t help but lean forward as well, placing a light kiss on top of the little heap of hair. “We most certainly will.”

After a while of peace and quiet, a bright sound came up, followed by enthusiastic clapping of inexperienced hands. They both turned to look and the conversation came to a stop once they noticed what Blake had been up to while they’d been talking.

“Oh would you look at that! She build a tower!” 

There, sitting with her back straight and a huge smile on her face, Blake was patting her hand down on top of the shortest, most adorable attempt of an block stack. 

Adrian took a look too. “... It’s _two_ blocks on top of each other, Otto. One would hardly classify that as a _tower._ ”

It was ridiculous, and Otto knew it. To be excited over something so trivial, such a meager, trifling achievement in the world of adults. But when he saw those darling wide eyes sparkling with glee, that thought was immediately chased away. He chuckled out loud and clapped along with Blake, smiling even more when he saw Adrian joining in as well, with a barely visible clap of his own.

“Well, she has to start somewhere. And say what you want, but it _does_ require a rather good coordination to build such a thing.”

In front of them, Blake was crawling around again. She seemed to be searching for something, stretching her arms out in her quest to gather up more blocks. Otto caught on quickly and moved to push more wooden pieces on her way.

“You are so very talented, aren’t you?” Otto cooed while lifting her up - carefully as to not make her drop her precious blocks - and set her back down against his legs. “We could build one together. How about that?”

“You do realize she doesn’t understand the question, right?” Adrian said from his spot beside them. He was looking at them, an intense gleam in his eyes. “You might as well be asking her about her views of the current political debate.”

It had been obvious for Otto, even before they were in this together, that Adrian was not the most well-versed man when it comes to children. He was a dutiful parent, and wonderfully mindful of the possible hazards a baby could come across with while living in what basically was a villain’s nest. But when it came to the actual interactions with the infant, he was... Well, ‘cold’ would be a gross exaggeration. After all, he _did_ have genuine interest to Blake’s well-being. It was more like he was nervous (for a lack of a better word) around the child, every move he made a calculated one instead of a natural impulse Otto relied on when dealing with their little bundle of joy. 

It was not like Adrian _didn’t care_ . He most certainly did. But _showing_ it...

“Asking her questions is not about me waiting for an answer,” he muttered, waving a new block before Blake’s hands, laughing as she tried to grasp it. “It is a technique to teach her basics of human interaction. When you are talking to her, she begins to learn different words, their meanings and how they fit into sentences.” The block was snatched from his grip, and he let it go with ease. “If you don’t make a connection with her, how is she supposed to view you as a fellow human being? You need to be worth of her time, my dear.”

While he’d been talking, Adrian had huddled a bit closer. He was now sitting right by his side, their elbows touching, part of the lankier man’s weight resting against Otto’s shoulder. 

His voice came out low when he finally spoke up. 

“I... I am not quite sure what to say to her. Most of the time.”

It was a quiet confession. Keeping one of his arms wrapped around Blake’s middle (just in case she decided to tumble over), Otto turned to look to his left. The pale skin of his partner was covered by blush that went down all the way to his neck. Sharp eyes, usually meeting his own without a hitch, were facing downwards. 

The sight sent a spike of grief through his chest. 

With a practiced ease, he picked Blake up again. The baby squirmed in his hold, but calmed down once Otto lowered her onto Adrian’s lap, under the man’s startled eyes.

“Wha -” the tall man made a move to sit up, but before he could do anything, Blake’s hand had already taken a grip at his shirt’s sleeve. A firm tug soon followed, pulling his arm down towards her.

A pair of deep dark eyes gazed up at him, observant and bright. Tentatively, Adrian returned the look. It was bit of a struggle to change his position to a more comfortable one, Blake refusing to make it any easier by attempting to snuggle up closer while he was off-balance. Eventually he managed to set himself down with his legs crossed, making his lap a fine seat for her.

Otto had been following the scene with a soft smile. “Try talking to her.”

A tiny fist smacked against Adrian’s cheek as he turned to glare at him. “About what?”

“Anything, really.” Otto shrugged and leaned forward to caress the baby’s constantly bouncing head. “It’s more about the tone of your voice rather than the words themselves, I find.”

There was a doubtful look on Adrian’s face, but regardless he focused his attention back to Blake. Who appeared to be busy blowing drool bubbles into existence. Half of the spit running down the front of her blouse.

_Charming._

He cleared his throat. And did it once more when the baby’s eyes found his.

“Uhh...” 

He took another breath, summoning what he hoped to a comforting expression on his face. 

“I... I have always found your laughter to be fairly delightful.”

The amount of willpower it took to maintain a straight face nearly broke Otto. However, he was fast enough to cover his grin behind his palm before the other man twisted around to look at him. Arms keeping the baby securely in his lap, Adrian was watching him, blinking in that owlish way of his. The blush from earlier had intensified in color, making it quite a darling scene to witness. In the end, it was the curious flicker in his gaze that did it for Otto. 

He was looking for approval.

Carefully, and with the help of his additional arms, Otto nuzzled himself firmly to the man’s side. He kissed the sharp jawline, ran his hand slowly down the narrow back. His arms whirred quietly as they formed an odd looking burrow of cables around the two people he held most dear to him in the whole world.

“Just like that, darling. Nothing more to it.”

The pleased look that creeped on Adrian’s face made the tenderness in his chest swell out even more. Without thinking much of it, Otto leaned in again, this time aiming for the half-parted lips. His kiss was accepted with a content sigh, and he could feel the way Adrian’s body gave in a bit the longer it went on. There was a weird sound in the midst of it all, but its meaning escaped Otto’s mind. The space between grew smaller, he was now so close he could effortlessly bring his free hand up, to press it against Adrian’s chest.

_His warm, oddly wet chest..._

Otto’s eyes snapped open. He pulled away, glanced down, and -

“Umm, Adrian?”

“Hmm?” The man shifted his weight, curling into him. “What is it?”

“It seems Blake left a little... something for you.”

It was almost comical, the speed with which Adrian pushed them apart, following his gaze until he caught the sight of what Otto was referring to. 

The shade of his face turned pale.

“... _Oh lord_.”

Otto barely had time to react when Blake was tossed to his care, a flash of colors surging past as Adrian leaped onto his feet and started to rush towards the hallway leading to their small shower room. The spew stain on the once well-kept shirt was visible for a good distance away, and Otto could see the way the older man was pinching the fabric between two of his fingers, attempting to keep it as far off his body as humanly possible.

A genuine laughter slipped out from him when he heard the distant crash behind the now closed shower door. The man must have tripped in his haste, presumably to his own set of clothes he’d left on the bathroom floor the previous night. There were some other additional grunts and hisses, and finally the sound of water running down the drain.

After his cheer had settled to more of an inner chuckle, Otto made eye contact with the baby on his arms, a wide smile tugging the corners of his mouth. Blake had already pressed her grimy front into his clean vest.

He lifted her to be on a more convenient height, and proceeded to wash the spill away with a tissue.

“Well, apart from that last bit, I think it went pretty smoothly. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Pffft!”

“If you say so, my dear.”


End file.
